Are 6950 or 6870 overkill for a 1680x1050 monitor?

[jalo2]

computer has a i5-2400 cpu, 4 gig ram

looking to play the latest games like BF3

 

[LoneNinja]

6950 might be, but I wouldn't call 6870 overkill if you want to play games with max settings.

 

[NTAC]

Depends on the settings you want to play at. I have a 6950 and while it does a great job I can't quite max out BF3's settings with it. Maybe if I unlock it to a 6970 perhaps. It still looks great though, I can play with a mixture of Ultra and High and gets 60 FPS.

 

[bryanW1995]

No. I just got a gtx 480 for 1680 x 1050 and I finally feel like I can max out everything I play.

 

[wand3r3r]

Its not overkill at all if you plan to use the all eyecandy. MSAA will kill even those cards. I think almost no single gpu card is overkill @1680x1050 as long as you have the $.

See the GTX 560 TI HAWK which is set to ultimate, the frames drop to 3x from time to time but avg higher. This is without MSAA. If you use MSAA you need a more powerful card. This is multiplayer.

 

[Leyawiin]

Not at all. Crank up the detail settings and enjoy.

 

[nanaki333]

no. especially for newer games that require even more stank to run.

 

[tweakboy]

At that resolution your games will fly on a 480 or 5xx series. You can use 8x CSAA and 16xAF high quality. High game settings. BF3 will run like a champ, but you need to OC that CPU ? gl,

 

[toyota]

No. I just got a gtx 480 for 1680 x 1050 and I finally feel like I can max out everything I play.

exactly. if you have the cpu to push any gpu then get as much gpu power as you can afford. with a 6950 or better, I would raise the turbo levels a bit though on that 2400 i5 just to make sure you get all of its potential.

and if anyone thinks a 6950 is overkill at 1680x1050 try running Clear Sky on max settings. here it is at 1920x1080 with everything cranked with a gtx570. to be fair this is about the most demanding part of the game.


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heck even a console port like Red Faction Armageddon can be a tiny bit sluggish at times at 1920x1080 with my gtx570. that game will drop into the 40s and even 30s in spots at 1920x1080.

just standing still in this spot at 1920x1080


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same spot but at 1280x720


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[jalo2]

I have a 6950 and while it does a great job I can't quite max out BF3's settings with it. Maybe if I unlock it to a 6970 perhaps.

if i unlock the 6950, does that mean i need more cooling? not sure how these things work exactly.

 

[WMD]

The trend is people always say x high end card a waste for this resolution or "upgrade that crap monitor!". It really depends on your AA needs and your framerate target. If you want to max out every game with good AA + minimum 60fps, then even a 6970/ gtx580 is not enough. If you are happy without max settings and 25fps then yes it is overkill.

 

[NTAC]

if i unlock the 6950, does that mean i need more cooling? not sure how these things work exactly.

No you shouldn't.

 

[itstsui]

6950 isn't overkill at all. And with rebate getting them down to around $200 there's no reason why you shouldn't get one